In my four-plus decades of ministry, I haven’t had many opportunities to go on missions trips. My first experience, 22 years ago, took my wife and me on a two-week visit to Singapore and Malaysia. I had the opportunity to speak about 20 times to families and young people at…
Winter in our neck of the woods has been relatively mild thus far. In fact, I think Destin, Florida, has received more snow this year than we have! Nevertheless, the day we took our annual winter break to Lake Geneva wasn’t so mild. For this time of year, the temperatures…
On January 1 of this year (2024), my wife and I signed up for the Hiker’s 365 Challenge. Simple concept, actually. All you have to do is hike 365 miles in a year. Easy-peasy—just hike an average of a mile a day. Not like through-hiking the Appalachian Trail or Pacific…
My wife’s work as an Administrative Assistant for the Reformed Baptist Network requires her to attend the annual General Assembly. This year it was held in Riverside, California. Aw, shucks! Now, we couldn’t fly all the way to California and spend just the three days required for the conference, now,…
Just before Independence Day, a friend and I hiked less than 2% of the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin on an overnight backpacking trek. Sounds rather insignificant, I know. But keep in mind the Ice Age Trail is 1,000 miles long—and all in Wisconsin! Hiking west to east, the trail…
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a favorite path, but the Hennepin Feeder Canal Trail is frequently used and enjoyed. We access it about a quarter mile from our house, hence the frequent use. The trail is nice because it’s flat and straight—in other words, easy! From the trailhead near our…
In our year-long quest to fulfill the “365 Hiker’s Challenge”—hiking 365 miles in 12 months—my wife and I look for hiking trails near our home. Within an hour’s drive is ideal. Most of our hikes are along the nearby Rock River Trail or Hennepin Canal Trail—we access both just a…
Several days ago—before the sub-zero deep freeze enveloped our area!—my wife and I wanted to add a few miles to our annual hiking total. At the beginning of the year, we signed up for the Hikers 365 Challenge with the goal of hiking 365 miles in 365 days. We began…
To many, the word isn’t thought of positively, a sort of admission of failure or something. Retreating is something soldiers do when they’re getting whipped, the thinking goes. Like that scene in the movie Gettysburg when the Union army has far outgunned the Confederates, and the ragtag unit of misfit…
The stereotypical Thanksgiving celebration in America involves people—a lot of people. That’s why Thanksgiving weekend is the busiest travel season of the year—even more so than Christmas! So the vintage scene includes a large table overflowing with food with people seated all around. Through the years, many of our Thanksgiving…
